ChildFund International
Consultancy for the Baseline Evaluation of The Responsive and Protective Parenting Program
1.About ChildFund
ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that
works in 27 countries to connect children with the people, resources,
and institutions they need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and
safe, no matter where they are. ChildFund Kenya works through 11
implementing partners (IP’s) to implements various development
interventions across 26 counties. The thematic areas that we focus on
are Child Protection, Household Economic Strengthening, Early Childhood
Development (ECD), Education, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene),
Emergency Response, Health and Nutrition.
2.ChildFund Kenya Early Childhood Development Program.
Under ECD, ChildFund Kenya works with parents, communities, and the government both at the national and county levels to support the improved health and well-being of infants and young children (IYC) through provision of integrated ECD services. Our aim is to strengthen the nurturing environment to promote protective and responsive parenting and supportive structures for early childhood development. To this end, ChildFund’s ECD program is aligned to the Nurturing Care Framework, with interventions cutting across the 5 components namely health, nutrition, safety and security, responsive caregiving, and early learning. Our projects target children, their caregiver, and the communities they live in.
3. Overview of Responsive and Protective Parenting (RPP) Program
ChildFund International’s Responsive and Protective Parenting (RPP)
Global Program is promoting community-based group parenting sessions
utilizing contextualized training manuals, covering the five components
of nurturing care namely good health, adequate nutrition, opportunities
for early learning, safety and security, and responsive caregiving, and
caregiver well-being. The target group is vulnerable caregivers, and the
impact group is infants and young children (IYC) aged 0-5.
Goal: The long-term goal of RPP program model is for infants and young children to have improved age-appropriate development and early learning outcomes, and to be protected at home and in their communities.
Objectives
RPP program model aims to:
1. Strengthen multi-sectoral sub-national government and implementing
partners’ capacity to support community stakeholders in ensuring
protective and nurturing home and community environments for infant and
young children.
2. Strengthen community stakeholders’ knowledge, attitudes, and
practices on the components of Nurturing Care, Caregiver Well-being, and
Community-Based Child Protection to support caregivers in group
parenting sessions.
3. Enhance parents/caregiver’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices
across the components of nurturing care, caregiver well-being; and
community-based child protection.
4.Purpose of the Assignment
The purpose of the baseline evaluation is to determine the current status of community support structures and government officers understanding of nurturing care, establish caregivers’ knowledge, attitude and practice on nurturing care and the protection needs for infants an young children, identify existing ECD services/ resources available for infants and young children (0-5) and their caregivers.
5.Evaluation Questions
5.1.Sub-County Government Officers
- Does the model increase local partners and sub national govt’s support for establishing and maintaining a nurturing and protective environment for infants and young children?
- Does the model increase sub national government and local partners’ knowledge in nurturing care and caregiver wellbeing?
- Does the model increase sub national government and local partners’ knowledge on reflective supervision?
5.2.Parents/Caregivers
- Does the model lead caregivers to see their communities as safe places for their children?
- Does the model increase caregivers’ knowledge in nurturing care and protection of infants and young children?
- What nurturing care and protection practices (behavior) of caregivers are enhanced by the model?
5.3.Community Support Structures
- Does the model increase communities’ support for establishing and maintaining a nurturing and protective environment for infants and young children?
- Does the model increase mentors’ and group facilitators knowledge in nurturing care and caregiver wellbeing?
- Does the model increase mentors’ and group facilitators knowledge in facilitation parenting session planning, and reflective supervision?
6.Scope of Work
The evaluation will cover Mbirikani, Kuku and Naretoi in Mt Kilimanjaro Child Development Program, Kajiado South Sub County in Kajiado county.
7.Evaluation Outputs and Deliverables
• Co-facilitate with the technical staff, the training of enumerators on research methodology, field procedures.
• Supervise enumerators through field spot checks during the data collection exercise
• Conduct Data Cleaning and Analysis of the raw data collected from the field
• Produce Baseline Report guided by the prescribed template
• A power point presentation to validate & disseminate the results
of the evaluation to the implementing partner and other stakeholders for
cross learning & accountability. NB: Please note that the
consultant will not be needed to develop new data collection tools as
they are already in existence. The successful applicant will be expected
to engage with the country office team to review the existing RPP MEL
Plan, Data Analysis Procedures and Tools before undertaking the
assignment.
8.Qualifications of Consultant (s)
The successful firm/organization or individual will have the following competencies:
▪Expertise in undertaking research studies, preferably in the Early Childhood Development.
▪An Advanced degree in any of the following or related disciplines:
Early Childhood Development, Education, Public Health, Sociology,
Community Development Studies.
▪Have proven knowledge and practical experience in quantitative and qualitative research.
▪Excellent analytical, organizational, facilitating, presentation and communication skills.
▪Excellent report writing and presentation skills.
▪Fluency in English and Kiswahili
▪ Must have extensive expertise and experience in project planning,
project design, applying the logical framework, project implementation
and monitoring.
9.Management and Coordination
The key people that the consultant will be working closely with at ChildFund include the Senior Early Childhood Development Specialist and Monitoring & Evaluation Manager. The management of the day-to-day activities in the field will be supported by Program Coordinator Program and Sponsorship Officers and M&E Coordinator in Mt Kilimanjaro Child Development Program organisation.
10.Work plan & Timelines
The evaluation is expected to take place from the 23rd October 2023 to 10th November 2023.
Specific timelines applicable to this evaluation will be discussed
during the inception meeting but will fall within 21-man days i.e.
•23rd-25th October 2023: Training of field enumerators on data collection tools, ethics and research protocol
•26thOctober 2023: Pretesting of the caregivers questionnaire
•27th October 2023: Logistics and team planning for data collection
•28th October – 1st November 2023: Data collection of Caregivers survey
•1st- 3rd November 2023: Data collection of Knowledge Attitude and Practice survey for identified group parenting facilitators.
•1st – 3rd November 2023: Data collection of Key Informant Interviews for Sub County Government Officials
•4th-10th November 2023: Data cleaning, aggregation and analysis and report writing based on the prescribed templates.
11.Application Process
To apply the consultant(s) should submit an Expression of Interest. This should contain:
▪The consultant’s understanding of the TOR;
▪How the consultant(s) will undertake the evaluation
▪How the consultant(s) meet the requirements of the evaluation;
▪Proposed technical work plan and financial proposal quoted in Kenya Shillings for the whole assignment.
▪CV of the lead consultant and any other personnel to be involved in the assignment
12.Budget
The consultant is expected to budget for their professional,
accommodation & meals during the training and data collection days.
Transport will be provided from Nairobi to the field for the training
and field pretest period. MKCDP will work with consultants to provide
transportation during data collection.
13.Payment process
Payment upon submission and acceptance of the inception report to ChildFund Kenya - 30%
Payment upon submission and acceptance of the draft report and excel table to ChildFund Kenya - 30%
Payment upon submission and acceptance of the final report to ChildFund
Kenya and dissemination/validation of the findings during virtual
meeting - 40%
NB: The Consultant's compensation shall be paid NET, within 30 days from receipt of a proper invoice unless otherwise specified. Payment will be made through direct bank transfer otherwise specified.The payment shall be subjected to 5% withholding tax as required by the Law at the time of payment.
How to apply
Interested candidates should submit their Expression of Interest through kenyaprocurement@childfund.org. An evaluation of the proposals will be made by ChildFund Kenya who may engage in an interactive process with the consultant to further specify the scope and methodology to be used as well as budget, deliverables and deadlines. Target date for contract Award is 23rd October 2023. The overall time and work plan will be specified in the agreement with 10th November 2023 as the target deadline for submission of the baseline report.